Beyond the required marketing hype from the clubs and Canada Soccer, and the cries from the patriots to take this competition more seriously than any other, there is a rather obvious formula at play for the coaches involved in the Amway Canadian Championship.

They want to learn as much as they can about their next wave of talent while still winning a trophy.

Easy to say — although it mostly goes unsaid. Much harder to pull off.

No player embodies this delicate balancing act more than Alphonso Davies, the Whitecaps’ 15-year-old winger/forward.

He is a special talent, to be sure, but does he give the Caps the best possible to chance to hoist the Voyaguers Cup at B.C. Place on Wednesday (7 p.m., TSN, TSN 1040)?

That would be a very difficult claim to defend, yet if Caps coach Carl Robinson again picks Davies for his starting lineup in this second-leg final he’ll be entirely justified in doing so.

Surely some of the same fans who crow about weakened lineups for this tournament are also griping about Canada’s inability to develop talent, without seeing the obvious connection between the two.

A big part of Iceland’s success — according to those who’ve lived it — is their willingness to play 15- and 16-year-olds in their domestic professional league.

If Robinson picks Davies for his 11, good for him. He should be applauded for the risk.

Of course it would help the coach’s case massively for Davies to actually perform well and, who knows, even help create a goal. But, ultimately, the Caps’ fate will not rest on one lineup decision, Davies or otherwise.

Robinson just has to get enough right to win the game, and the players, collectively, have to perform.

“He’s done enough to show me that he’s got great potential,” Robinson said of Davies. “He’ll be involved, whether it’s off the bench or in the starting lineup.”

Robinson started Davies in the second-leg win at home to Ottawa and surrounded him with an experienced bunch. Davies dazzled and left to a standing ovation. Robinson then went back to Davies in the first-leg 1-0 loss at Toronto, where he got to experience a new level of competition.

TFC’s backup will either be 22 or 21 years old, and Vancouver’s game plan will be obvious enough: pepper the lad with shots.

Robinson will surely dress a lineup that can accomplish the task at hand, but there’s no reason for him to abandon his principles, which he’s made clear since Day 1 on the job.

“I wanted to play them (young Canadians in the first leg) to give them experience, because if you don’t give them experience then, when do you get to see them?” Robinson said.

“In Toronto, we mixed it and there will be young players involved (Wednesday). Is it going to be the right thing or the wrong thing? I’ll tell you in 24 hours.”

He won’t need to, of course. Lose a Cup final on your home field and the fans will pick apart your lineup before the confetti comes down.

In fact, it will be picked apart two hours prior, which is one of the great pleasures of this sport, and a God-given right of every supporter and pundit.

But if Robinson were truly honest, he might tell us that Davies or whoever he might sprinkle into the lineup, is the right choice regardless — at least in his mind. Because if he didn’t think that, he wouldn’t pick them in the first place.

You just can’t tell the fans that the bigger picture is bigger than a trophy in the here and now. That never goes down well.

TORONTO AT VANCOUVER, 7 P.M.

Amway Canadian Championship, second-leg final

Venue: B.C. Place

TV: TSN

Radio: TSN 1040

Mobile: Bell

Referee: Drew Fischer

The setup:

For the Caps to defend the Voyageurs Cup at home, they’ll have to overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit. And with away goals as the first tie-breaker, if the Caps concede one they’ll need to score three in regular time. It’s delicate balancing act.

Vancouver in the ACC:

The Caps hoisted the Voyageurs Cup for the first time last season after 13 years of heartbreak. They’re back in the final after a 3-2 come-from-behind aggregate win over Ottawa in the semifinals. Carl Robinson went with a young Canadian-heavy lineup in the first-leg final, a 1-0 loss.

Toronto in the ACC:

Toronto lost in the 2014 final and last won the ACC in 2012, a run of four straight titles. Two goals each from Jonathan Osorio and Jordan Hamilton lifted TFC to a 4-2 first-leg and series win over Montreal in the semifinals. Giovinco scored in the first-leg final against Vancouver.

Three things to watch:

Toronto untested in goal

TFC’s lost starting goalkeeper Clint Irwin to a quadriceps injury against Orlando last weekend. The Reds’ remaining options in goal? Quillan Roberts, 21, or Alex Bono, 22. Between them, they’ve played 20 minutes in MLS and those were when Bono replaced the injured Irwin. Bono, a native of New York, was TFC’s sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft. Roberts would be the sentimental pick for the Canadian final. He’s from Brampton, Ont. Remember the goalie who scored for Canada from his own half against England at the U17 World Cup? That was him.

The Giovinco Show

He’s the best player in MLS and, as many a Whitecap has stated, you can really only hope to contain him. In the first leg of this final, Giovinco was nowhere to be found in the first half until he popped up and scored. So even when you do a good job defensively on him, he can still hurt you. And that’s the huge concern for the Caps in this one because if Toronto nabs an away goal then the Caps need three in regular time to advance. That would be a tall order. TFC has the third-best defensive mark in MLS, although the Caps did put four past them earlier this year.

Robinson’s mix in midfield

Win the midfield, win the game. That’s usually how it goes, although you could certainly argue the Caps issues this season have been more about what goes on in both boxes. Still, Carl Robinson has to get his midfield right and here’s the conundrum: he’ll be tempted to play Canadian Russell Teibert, especially with the threat Giovinco offers, but are the Caps better off with Pedro Morales in a deeper role and Nicolas Mezquida as the No. 10? Mezquida offers so much in a game like this. The Caps wingers have run hot and cold and Robbo will have to be spot on with those choices, too.

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